generalspeaking

Who, Us Blaspheme?

There was a time when the Christian Church was powerful enough to invoke blasphemy as an offence sufficiently serious to consign the blasphemer to torture for his undesired slights, or death. No one need take the name of the Lord in vain. Now, however, enlightened society accepts that there are some, sufficiently ill-mannered in the community to impudently question the reverence with which believers hold faith in the Almighty. Worse, artists are free to portray religious symbols in the most atrociously offensive manner, and with complete impunity.

However, in steps another religion, that of Islam, which contends with Christianity for recognition as a religion of world-wide instruction and obligatory respect. Islam stands second to Christianity for the vast number of its faithful. And where once the Roman Catholic Church was able to protect itself from the calumny of doubters seeking to cast insolent skepticism on its rites and rituals and claims to the ear of God, that church now reels under the weight of criticism on a wide level of areas.

Whereas Islam, which rules with the heavy hand of presenting to its unquestioning faithful as the over-arching authority in all matters of human endeavour, existence, societal and cultural, political and legislative organization, will not, can not and does not accept criticism or doubt in its holy infallibility. Once devout Christians reacted to the demands of the Church much as Muslims now do in response to Islam's claim on its worshippers. That is no longer the case.

And it is Islam alone that reigns and rules as a formidable force that informs its adherents how they may live their lives, in minute detail, which the faithful is never free to question, observing and respecting the covenant without fail five times each day. As well as every minute of every day. The very thought of a slight against Islam by the West is enough to send believers into a frenzy of hysterical blame and emotion-led carnage.

Through the auspices of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, Islamic states have attempted to put forward into a (currently non-binding governmental) resolution the criminalization of the incidence of defamation of Islam, equating it with a human rights violation. Insults to Islam were to be seen as a "serious affront to human dignity", representing a blatant violation of religious freedom.

It would also have been very agreeable to the Islamic states if the General Assembly had agreed to encourage the imposition of Shari'a. And it's instructive to witness how many Western countries, the number of academic institutions, the growing cadre of unions in the West have that have handily and charitably succumbed to the 'need' to exercise a type of respectful moral relativity.

So here is Ireland, re-establishing the crime of blasphemy. Recognized acts of blasphemy against any religion (which stands for a kind of code-speak for Islam) will, from October henceforth, be recognized as a crime. Any forbidden "abusive or insulting" speech directed against any religion will be ripe for justice. Fines for blasphemous libel stand at $38,000; a stupendous 'fine' as punishment for any who would take the name of the Lord (Allah) in vain.

Thus, Danish-style cartoons lampooning the hypocrisy of Muslims who defend violent jihad while declaring in the same breath that Islam is a religion of peace and understanding will not clear the air in Ireland, but instead slam such perpetrators of outraged religious anguish among the faithful into penury, and perhaps prison as well. A powerful tool with which to silence voices of dissent. Freedom of speech? Perish the thought. Keep it quietly in your head, don't share it, stifle it.

A useful incentive to encourage people to offer humble respect where none is due.

Labels: Human Rights, Political Realities, Religion

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, August 26, 2009